Letters to the Editor

What happened to free choice?

Written by Micki Hueftle, Gothenburg
Thursday, 09 September 2010 19:33

Every month I pay two insurance premiums to cover my home and vehicles in case of fire, theft, accident, etc. I have a claim in process from the storms in the area this past July. My agent has been Jerry Jorgenson since I first insured in the early 1980s.

Imagine my surprise upon reading the letter in the Sept. 1 Gothenburg Times that explained my right to choose my agent and where my policy resided had been taken from me. That my policy, including my paper and computer files, was moved without my knowledge/informed consent to a new agent/office.

If like me you didn’t have a choice in this matter and would like to be sure your business stays where you chose to have it originally, you need to call Mike Fregn at 308-389-6552. Ask that your files, both paper and computer, be transferred back to the Jorgensen’s office.

The people at the State Farm office in the Gateway building can also take your information and get your files transferred back to the Jorgensen’s if that is your choice.

This unfortunate confusion is not the fault of either Mr. Fergn or the Jorgensens. It is just the way the State Farm company deals with matters in these circumstances.

We are blessed to live here

Written by Penny Fattig, Gothenburg
Wednesday, 08 September 2010 20:10

Here I go again. I had to respond to Neil Davis’s latest letter. He seems very discontented with our governing system. He doesn’t like the Democrats in charge but says that if we change politicians, they will only become part of a corrupt system.

I disagree with his assertion that we have a corrupt system. I have heard people say that the Democrats are advocating Marxism or socialism. Excuse me, but I believe we still have private ownership of property and everyone still has the right to vote. We still have the right to express our opinions (which Neil and I do quite frequently).

We are still a two-party system with a checks and balance system which is designed to detect and expose corruption…real corruption as opposed to alleged corruption by politicians or parties trying to discredit the other one. Although I believe we are exposed to entirely too much propaganda via those forwards which are designed to inflame the emotions but are not necessarily credible information, it is not illegal.

I believe we are blessed to live in a country where we can vote, own property and express our opinions. I feel blessed to have a form of government which cares enough about its people to take care of our elderly, disabled and veterans, educate our young people, defend us and feed us. These amenities don’t come from an evil form of government and don’t come without a price.

Overpass is not worth the cost

It would be nice to have a bypass around the city for trucks. That being said, I’d like to express why any of the proposed overpass plans are lousy ideas.

First and foremost, the necessity of closing our two in-town crossings. The negative ramifications of that are so stupendous I question whether the steering committee was not remiss in allowing the study to continue once that fact was known. Whatever interests might be served are far outweighed by the negative impact on the community as a whole.

Neither east proposals can by virtue of proximity to the airport be accepted. And except to account for funds used, I question why they were even presented.

The current crossings alleviate some of the traffic on the existent overpass, which brings us to the west proposals. Fourth Street—that intersection is messy enough as is with Fourth Street, Lake Avenue and Highway 47 all converging, plus whatever traffic would be added by the closings.

So, we’re left with First Street—a fine way for anyone who wants to bypass the city entirely.

In the meantime, whoever is on one side of the tracks and wants/needs to get to the other side has two choices. To take the scenic route on West 30—how many miles? Or use the existent overpass with its increased traffic. Want to walk or ride a bicycle, or push a pram or use a motorized chair? Get in line to use the one pedestrian walkway on the current overpass, unless a skywalk like in Brady is erected—useful perhaps a few months of the year, because the current crossings will be barricaded and unusable.

I’ve heard people speak as if it’s a “done deal.” Others say it won’t go through because of the money involved—that hasn’t stemmed the expenditure of an already tidy sum. “It’ll go because they want it,” say some. I’m not sure who the “they” are, but can’t feel that “they” are concerned with what’s good for the town as a whole. The railroad would like to not maintain the crossings, and as a carrot say that then they wouldn’t have to blow their horns. The sound of the trains, even their horns, is a sometimes welcome relief from the incessant roar from the grain dryers.

Just because some funds are available toward this project does not make it desirable, and those funds aren’t manna—we’ve already contributed to them. Why should we assume an additional fiscal burden just to “get our share,” when to do so is detrimental to the community as an entity?

I suggest we staunch this flow of city treasure, cut our losses and put our capital to use in maintenance and repair of what we’ve already got. For instance, why couldn’t Lake Avenue south of the tracks have been repaired and resurfaced this year? We found the money for a concrete monolith and landscaping but no place to park or sit near it.

With the opening of Avenue G overpass, the Gothenburg Times ran the headline, “City skyline changed forever.” It is my fervent hope that they will not have to note, “City effectively and forever cut in half.”

Perhaps I’m beating a dead horse and this truly rotten idea has been laid to rest. As long as sacrificing our ground crossings is a condition, it certainly should be.

Family business disrupted

If you have been a client/customer of Jerry Jorgensen, State Farm Insurance, as of Sept. 1 you will no longer be able to call Brad, Rana or Marlene and have them answer your questions or concerns about your policies. They will not have your insurance policy information on their computer screens.

All of Jerry’s paper files have been removed from his office, along with your private information, and will be given to another agent. Mr. Mike Fergn, from Grand Island, along with some other State Farm executives will give Jerry’s files to whomever you select. If you do not take any action your file will go to the new agent in town, located at the Gateway Building.

We feel that this family business, established in Gothenburg in April 1963, has been a constant source of honesty and community service and the clients/customers should remain in the capable hands of the Jorgensen family. We feel in the past Jerry exhibited and Brad, Rana and Marlene continue to display the utmost in integrity to their customers and loyalty to the community and deserve to be treated with the same respect.

If you were a State Farm client/customer of Jerry’s and agree with the above, you need to call Mike Fergn, 308-389-6552 and tell him that you want to stay with Brad as your agent. At this time you may prefer to ask that you be switched to a State Farm agent somewhere else in a city more convenient to your location. The choice is yours. If you do not make this call you will not have a choice.

Public servants need reminder

Written by Neil A. Davis
Wednesday, 01 September 2010 21:53

A man has a sick grandmother. He steals money from another man, to pay medical bills. He is arrested for theft and thrown in jail.

Sixty liberal senators have 35 million friends with sick grandmothers. Those friends take money from others to pay their bills. Is that theft? No, it is a liberal entitlement program (Obamacare).

When creating a mass voter block, the end justifies the means. The individual’s role is exploitation. When President Obama wants to make a point, he has welfare recipients stand behind him wearing lab coats or hard hats or some other ridiculousness. If it’s health care, he’ll drag out Tiny Tim Cratchit. This is supposed to make you think that others actually agree with what he is going to say.

I have written that President Obama and I are idealogues. The president is also an ideologue. This is where we part company. I simply do not have that much influence. But, his actions affect the lives of hundreds of millions worldwide. His agenda is the redistribution of wealth, but only through government. He penalizes charitable giving, in an effort to remove involvement by the individual.

The president and I also claim to be Christians. I’ll be the first to say that I am not a very good one (judgmental). But, one thing I have going for me is the belief that Jesus Christ sacrificed himself for my sins (my salvation through faith). What does President Obama believe?

When speaking to college students, he has said that his salvation depends on the salvation of others (collective salvation). Individuals don’t have the ability to save themselves? I don’t have any particular association with the Catholic Church (other than the Apostles Creed), but I find it interesting that the pope has referred to collective salvation as demonic.

It appears to me that the president’s socialist ideology trumps his religious beliefs. Since when is it his job to push theology on college students?

Liberals think the Constitution is open to interpretation because the Founders couldn’t possibly anticipate every future circumstance. I agree, in the context that they could never have imagined the rotting corpse we have allowed progressivism to make of our institutions. Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are the current faces of that degradation.

In the big picture though, it’s not really about them. Obama’s arrogance is bringing him down and Republicans are set to clean house in November. Even with that, we will only see new faces in the same corrupt system.

Our “public servants” need to be reminded that they work for us. I think the only way we will ever effect real change, is for each of us (as individuals) to make the commitment to speak up for what we think is right.

That doesn’t have to be what I say. Be of your own mind, but have the courage to stand up and say, that’s wrong and I’m not going to allow you to do that to my country anymore.

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